SPINNER Danny Clark and his brother Ben starred as Bicester & North Oxford marched on at the top of Cherwell League Division 3 with a seven-wicket win at home to Minster Lovell.

The Clarks helped condemn the visitors to their first defeat of the season.

Minster were soon regretting their decision to bat first.

Both openers fell before the miserly Clark brothers made short work of the Lovell middle-order.

Danny ended with 4-35 and Ben 3-28 as the visitors were reduced to 64-6 and 90-7.

James Merriman made 44 as the Lovell tail did its best to wag, before they were all out for 149 in the final over of the innings.

The hosts’ makeshift opening partnership of Adam Stapleford (25) and Stafford Sansome (17) put on 45.

Then Warwick Bradfield (30no) and skipper Ryan Moore (20) took the score to 87.

Dan Savin – promoted to No5 in the absence of the injured Nick Moorman – smashed eight boundaries in a 25-ball 33 not out.

He and Bradfield’s unbeaten 65-run partnership saw Bicester home with seven wickets and 12 overs to spare.

This week, they host Stokenchurch in the first round of timed matches.

Fellow joint-leaders Oxford & Bletchingdon Nondescripts crushed visitors Great Brickhill 2nd by 206 runs.

Garry Adamson smashed 128 and Wasim Mohammed 79 as Nondies amassed 292-7.

The Brickhill slumped to 86 all out to Rustum Rabani (4-23) and Arfan Ahmed (3-25).

Westbury slipped to their first defeat of the season in Division 2, when they lost by 49 runs at home to Bledlow Village.

Harry Bartlett hammered a brilliant 109 from just 88 balls,in Bledlow’s 240 all out.

Westbury were dismissed for 191 in the 47th over.

Bicester & North Oxford 2nd bounced back from successive defeats with a seven-wicket win away to East Oxford 2nd in Division 7.

It was a good match for Dan Murphy who took 3-34, while Matt Clark claimed 3-16 as the home side were restricted to 175 all out.

Murphy then scored 98 not out as he and Jamie Carter (62) put on a third-wicket stand of 145.

Oxford & Bletchingdon Nondescripts 2nd lost by six wickets to Horspath 4th after being bowled out for 140.

Bicester & North Oxford’s 3rd’s match at Didcot was abandoned after Thursday’s rain.